Wyrda: Father of Dragons (Eragon Book 5)

Chapter 42: The Tree of Jingolva

          The snow had stopped falling from the sky, but a cold wind blew between the branches of the tree, trying to freeze everything in its path. Snow covered the ground and houses of the village, as small icicles had formed, hanging from the rooftops of the buildings or from windows.The cold air, made the riders tremble with the cold, and a grimace appeared on their face, their hands and legs felt colder, a small pain reminding them of the fact. Thrain tried to cover his body with his coat, while Gregorbak stood there admiring the tree, ignoring the effects of the cold. Murtagh had a half smile, as if amused by the situation. The three riders looked upon the giant tree in the middle of the city. Around them Urgals waited or looked at them with curiosity, not knowing what their king would decide about their fate. 

           It was obvious that the tree was important to the culture and the society of the Urgals but Murtagh could not guess the reason why. The tree's gigantic branches were covered with leaves, despite the fact that it was winter,  and small red fruits appeared in some of the branches. The bark of the tree was covered with designs of the everyday life of Urgals, as well as scenes of battles and victories, masterfully carved on the tree, It was as if the tree could tell the story of the Urgal race to whoever looked at it, from its very beginning to the present time, describing the hardships and the victories of the Urgal people.

            "This is the tree of Jingolva, our Goddess of Fertility." Gregorbak announced. "You already know about our God of War, but Jingolva is the Godess of Fertility. Her charms are unimaginable to a simple Urgal, or Kull. She is the embodiment of beauty, of perfection. She gives our women their beauty and our men the strength needed for our race. Without her, our race would slowly disappear and for this reason we honor her tree with the outmost respect. Her tree is a symbol of our race, a guide to its history and a warning for the future generations." he continued.

 "All that from a simple tree?" Murtagh asked.

"You see a simple tree, but this is the gift our Gods gave us, the Gift of life, the gift of having a chance to live in this life, to be happy. Long ago Jingolva married the Father of the Gods, Farathok, the God of Wisdom. Farathok led a lonely life, studying and inventing, discovering but he was not happy. He still needed something in his life, someone to keep him company. In his infinite wisdom, he created Jingolva, the Godess of fertility, and in a way the Urgal race. As he created her, he put all his skill, his wisdom in creating her. She was the embodiment of perfection and soon, Farathok was so taken by her beauty that he fell deeply in love, forgetting his inventions, his great wisdom, blinded by his love for Jingolva, chasing her in the four corners of Alagaesia, trying to make her love him.  It is said that when Jingolva finally gave in, she gave the seed of this tree to Farathok, as a sign of her acceptance, and of the children to come of the union and it is a custom that we keep to this day when a bride accepts a young Urgal. Their first son was born here, the first of the Urgal Race, Jeranthok." Gregorbak stated. 

"A very nice story.!" Thrain said with an expression of wonder. It was always fascinating for him to discover new cultures, and beliefs.

"To think that the tree has survived to this day." Thrain continued. "A true miracle." Up in the air, their dragons were flying, showing off their beauty, their skills, giving an excellent image of the natural combined with the magic world, the Tree of Life, the biggest tree Thrain had seen  and the Dragons, the most majestic creatures that lived.

The sun had started to descend and soon darkness overcame the village, with no news from the council of Elders or the King. Thrain was jumping from toe to toe, while Murtagh looked increasingly worried, touching the handle of his sword. With a sigh Gregorbak sat down on the floor.

"It seems the decision lies for tomorrow." Gregorbak stated and lied on the floor ready for sleep. Copying him, Thrain too feel alseep, while Murtagh stayed awake, looking at his sleeping friends.